Hong Jun-pyo: "Should Go to Prison—How Can Such a Person Enter Suwon City Hall?"
Hong Jun-pyo, leader of the Korean Party, strongly criticized Democratic Party candidate Yeom Tae-young for Suwon Mayor at a Gyeonggi Province campaign strategy meeting held in Suwon on the 25th.
Hong stated, "Candidate Yeom Tae-young came out saying he would serve a third term, but there are allegations that he blatantly engaged in real estate speculation using his mayoral position. He and his family own land spanning 17,000 pyeong, and next to it he established a massive 1.2 trillion won development plan. When you do that, the land value of his own property and his relatives' land skyrockets."
He continued, "If a public official used his authority to increase his own wealth and his family's wealth, then he should be investigated, and if allegations are confirmed, he should go to prison. How can such a person enter Suwon City Hall?"
Hong also said, "All provincial assembly and city council candidates should be fully briefed on the details and demand explanations from the Democratic Party candidate. The candidate should provide proper explanations and receive judgment from Suwon citizens," and emphasized, "It is not acceptable to avoid important facts through evasion and then simply call it negative campaigning."
Hong stated, "During elections, even groundless suspicions are raised—that's what elections are. However, raising objectively confirmed facts is candidate vetting, not negative campaigning. If you try to win an election by slandering and undermining your opponent, that is wrong. However, if the Democratic Party candidate has allegations of real estate speculation, then he is not someone who should enter Suwon City Hall but someone who should be investigated and, if allegations are confirmed, go to prison. Candidate vetting is a right for citizens." (Hong made the comment about going to prison twice at the meeting.)
Suwon mayoral candidate Jung Mi-kyung also said at the campaign strategy meeting, "Candidate Yeom Tae-young was asked by his party's preliminary candidate and former congressman Lee Ki-woo to clarify the land issue, but the Democratic Party cut off the candidate who made that request for clarification. They prevented him from speaking. They blocked the opportunity for vetting on their own."
Jung continued, "That is why I am saying we should verify together with citizens. It is citizens' right and we must conduct vetting for the correct choice. I will go through this process together with citizens, and I will work hard with all my might at the forefront. Thank you."
Hong Jun-pyo, leader of the Korean Party, and Suwon mayoral candidate Jung Mi-kyung, who strongly criticized candidate Yeom's land issue, are both former prosecutors. Attention is being drawn to the inference that from the perspective of legal experts, they would sharply analyze the issues of candidate Yeom.
